MANILA – Consunji-owned Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. was recently given the nod by the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) to put up a gas turbine power plant in Calaca, Batangas.
The current Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) includes power generation projects among the preferred activities for investment in the energy category. It is also in line with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) policy to encourage private sector participation in providing a stable and reliable power generation to address the increasing power demand in the country.
The P1.34-billion project consists of two General Electric (GE) TM2500+ Mobile Gas Turbine power generating units with a combined rated capacity of 46MW by using diesel as fuel. The electricity generated will be delivered to the Luzon grid under an Ancillary Service Provider Contract with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). The gas turbines are similar to those used in jet aircraft and can be operated to provide full power usually in just 10 minutes from start-up.
“In times of peaked energy demand especially during the summer, this plant can provide the crucial backup to base load plants in avoiding power outages,” Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said. “This will provide relief for industries within the area to operate at full capacity.”
The power plant is equipped with ancillary support facilities such as control room, noise deflectors, switchgear, a transformer and a billing meter. Fuel will be available from the two newly-fabricated diesel day tanks which are in turn fed by a large diesel storage tank fabricated specifically for this project.
Commercial operations started last March 2017. The installed capacity of the project when added to the combined capacity of recent BOI-approved power generation projects in Luzon is still within the target capacity installation limit set under the current IPP Specific Guidelines for Energy.
Oil-based power installed capacity in the country as of June 2016 (per latest data from the DOE) remained at 3,446 MW (18.2 percent of the total power supply) with dependable capacity at 3,003 MW (16.75 percent of total capacity). In Luzon alone, it accounted for more half of its national capacity oil-based with 2,133 MW.
Southwest is controlled by Semirara Mining and Power Corp. which in turn is a member of DMCI Holdings, Inc. owned by the Consunjis and one of the country’s largest conglomerates. Southwest already operates a 300 MW base load coal plant in the same area in Batangas.